Shoe and art of making the same



Jan. 2l, 1930. K SMITH 1,744,147

v SHOE AND ART OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 13, 1926 Fig 3- /6 g@Mm/@d Patented Jan. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE JOHN K.SMITH, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERYCORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SHOEAND ART OF MAKING THE SAME Application led April 13,

This invention relates to shoes, and to the art of making them, beingherein disclosed particularly with reference to the production of shoeshaving close7 shanks.

The term welt crease is applied to the angle between the upper and theprojecting margin of the outsole or welt, when present, and is commonlyemployed to designate this angle in shoes which are not welt shoes as lwell as in respect to welt shoes. In many kinds of shoes it is desirablethat this angle or welt crease be closed, that is, that the margin ofthe sole or welt. be brought into close contact with the upper,particularly at the shank portion, to produce what is known as a closeshank. To this end, the margins of the shank portion of the sole of theshoe are usually bent or shaped inwardly, producing a convex curvatureof the shank portion and are brought into relatively close relation tothe upper by a leveling operation frequently supplemented by a beatingoperation. I-Iowever, not only is it oftentimes diilicult to obtaininitially the desired close relation, but such close relation is notalways maintained in the wear of the shoe, and it is an object of thisinvention to provide tor obtaining and maintaining the desired closerelation per manently.

In view of the foregoing, in one aspect the invention provides al methodof producing and maintaining the desired close shank relation whichconsists in inserting, in a shoe having an insole, an upper and anoutsole secured together in any usual and suitable manner, a line ofiastenings through the upper and the margins of the insole and theoutsole outside the other fastenings referred to, thereby forming thedesired close edge. Preferably, the desired close edge is effected bysewing through the upper and the margins of the insole and outsole alongone side or along both sides of the shank portion of the shoe. In a weltshoe, as illustrated, the supplemental seam is located outside theinseam and the outsole-attaching seam. Preferably a tln-ough-andthroughseam such as a lockstitch seam of line thread is employed which may behidden it' desired under the usual channel flap of the outsole whichconceals the 1926. Serial No. 101,701.

sole-attaching stitches and by a Channel in the insole if desired.

In another aspect the invention provides a shoe having an insole, anupper and an outsole, a line of fastenings securing the upper and theinsole together but not entering the outsole, a second line offastenings securing the outsole to the shoe, and a third line offastenings located adjacent to edges of contiguous margins of the insoleand outsole and holding the insole, outsole and upper together. In theillustrated shoe a welt is secured to an upper by one line of tasteningsand is secured to the outsole by another line of fastenings, and theadjacent margins of the welt, upper and outsole are further securedtogether by a line of fastenings placed outside of and supplemental tothe other lines of fastenings. The welt, upper and insole may be securedtogether by the usual inseam and the welt and outsole by the usualoutsole attaching seam, the outsole, welt, upper and insole. as illlustrated, being further secured together by a seam ofthrough-and-through stitches placed outside of and supplemental to theinseam and outsole-attaching seam and located at both sides of the shankportion to hold the eX- treme margins of the insole and outsole and theupper together in close relation.

In the drawing,-

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the shank portion of a shoe made inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the shank portion of a shoe showingthe process o manufacture; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken after the last is removed andthe seams which hold the insole, upper, welt and outsole together havebeen formed.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings is shown a section of a shoe made inaccordance with the usual practice in welt shoemaking, An insole 2 isplaced upon a last 4l. An upper 6 is lasted in the usual manner, theupper 6 and the welt 8 being subsequently secured to a sewing` rib 10formed on the insole by an inseam 1l which, however, does not enter theoutsole. A liller 12 and shank stii'ener 14 may be employed as usual andan outsole 16 laid upon the shoe. The outsole is preferably channeled asusual, a channel flap 1S being thus provided. The operation of stitchingthe outsole to the welt is next performed, -5 an outsole seam 20 beingthus made which secures the margin of the outsole and the welt 8together.

In order that the welt S and the margin of the outsole may be held tightagainst the upper to form a close edge, the last is now removed and aseam 22 formed, as shown in Fig. 3, through a marginal portion of theinsole, the upper, the welt, and the channeled margin of the outsole.Preferably, though not necessarily, a seam 22 is sewn at each side ofthe shoe and the insole may, as shown in Fig. 3, be split or channeledat each side of its marginal portion to provide lips 24 under which thelast1nentioned seams may be hidden. Preferably too the seam 22 will bemade by a lockstitch machine with comparative ly fine thread and its usewill be confined to the shank portion of the shoe. This seam serves veryeffectively to prevent the welt g5 from separatinfY from the upper andinsures that the desired close shank appearance will be maintainedthroughout the life of the shoe.

The channel flaps 18 and 24 are cemented and laid down, as shown at theright of Fig. 3, the flap 18 covering the seams 20 and 22, and

the flap 21 covering the seam 22 on the inside of the shoe.

In McKay sewed shoes, where no welt is present, the seam 22 will, ofcourse, pierce the margins of the insole, upper and outsole and hold theoutsole close to the upper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe comprising an insole, an upper and an outsole, a line ofastenings securing the upper and insole together but not entering theoutsole, a second line of fastenings securing the outsole to the shoe,and a third line of fastenings located adjacent to edges of contiguousmargins of the insole and outsole and securing the insole, outsole andupper together.

2. A welt shoe having the welt secured to the upper by one line offastenings, having the welt secured to the outsole by another line offastenings, and having adjacent mar gins of the welt, upper and outsolefurther secured together by a line of fastenings placed outside of andsupplemental to the said firstnamed lines of fastenings.

3. A shoe comprising an insole, upper, welt and outsole, the welt beingattached to the upper and insole, on the one hand, and to the 6Goutsole, ou the other, and a line of stitching passing through the shankportion of the upper and through the extreme outer margins of theinsole, welt and outsole.

4. A Welt shoe having seams respectively securing together the welt,upper and insole and the welt and outsole, adjacent margins of the welt,upper, insole and outsole being further secured together by a line ofthroughand-through stitches placed outside of and supplemental to thesaid first-named seams.

5. That step in the manufacture of shoes having an upper, an insole andan outsole attached together in any usual and suitable manner, whichconsists in sewing together the outsole, the upper and the insole at theshank only by a through-and-through seam located outside of the otherattaching means for said parts to hold the margin of the shank portionot' the sole in close relation to the upper.

6. That improvement in methods of inaking shoes which consists inlasting an upper over upon an insole, applying an outsole, sewingtogether the insole, upper and outsole, and then inserting a line ofastenings through the outer margins et the insole and outsole andthrough the upper to form a close edge, said line of Yfastenings beinglocated outwardly beyond the sewing by which the insole, upper andoutsole are attached together.

7. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes having close shankswhich consists in attaching together an insole, a welt, an upper and anoutsole in any usual and suitable manner, and then sewing together by athrough-aiid-through seam the margins ot the insole, the welt, the upperand the outsole to form a close shank, said seam being located outwardlybeyond the other means for attaching the insole, welt, upper and outsoletogether.

8. That method of producing close edge welt shoes having an inseam andan outsoleattaching seam which is characterized by inserting a line offastenings through the outsole, the welt, the upper and the insole, saidseam being located outwardly beyond the inseam and the outsole-attchingseam.

9. That method ot producing close edge shoes which consists in providingan upper end an insole, providing an outsole with a channel in its outermargin, sewing together the provided parts to make a shoe, then sewing athrough-and-through seam from the channel through the outsole, the upperand the insole, said seam being located outwardly beyond the iirstsewing of said shoe parts and near the outer edge of the insole, andcementing down the channel flap to cover the seam.

10. That method of producing close edge welt shoes which consists inproviding an insole with a channel in the margin ot its inner face,providing an outsole with a channel in the margin of its outer face,attaching by an inseam the welt to the upper and insole, attaching by aseam the welt to the outsole, then sewing a lockstit'ch seam fromchannel to channel through the outsole, the welt, the upper and theinsole at each side of the shank, said seam being located outwardlybeyond the inseam and the outsoleattaohng seam, and cementng down thechannel Hops to covel1 the seams.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN K. SMITH.

